Elite (invite only) FIRST teams

[Joe Matt]

Originally Posted by Libby K

I like that you are starting a team- good plan. I also think your business-like plan would work very efficiently and make the team work excellently together, and would prepare the students for real-life experiences.

I, totally, 100% disagree. I don't care if you know how to do the work or can handle it, that's only 30% of college. You have to do a lot more than just work, and ask anyone who's gone to college from FIRST and they'll tell you to take a year off. If there's one piece of advice to follow from this thread, take that.

I know a guy who wanted to start a team near where he was, talked to people, then go to campus. He joined Model Rocketry and Mini Baja, and now doens't go to those but instead goes to band parties, is in the swing dancing club, and is probably going to be part of band next year. I'm also trying to get him to rush Phi Psi. Take a guess who that is.

I also know someone who was gun-ho about mentoring through his university but dropped it and changed majors his first semester. He's a History major (lame x10) and part of the Alpha Sig.

The point is you have no idea where the winds will take you. Don't let FIRST hinder you and hold you back with your first year on campus, you need to grow beyond HS and stop reliving it, which I think some people need to realize in the program right now (not you, but just saying...). Do something different.

However- I am not a huge fan of the 'application' process for NEW teams. (If an older team has, say 90 gazillion people from their school who want to join, then weeding out the unproductive people or people who are only joining for their college resume makes sense.)

Agree in full, Beta Theta Pi on campus is a collony and has a lengthy application process, rush events, and high GPA requirement. Sure, they're getting guys, but at what cost to losing them when they graduate? Sometimes the most impressive and hardest working kids have the lowest GPA, or don't have that impressive of a resume. FIRST is about letting kids blossom into adults, not finding those who peak in HS and giving them an outlet to play in.

Drop me a line sometime if you want to talk about it more.